Stanford partners with Coursera to offer more online courses

Stanford will offer five more free online courses this month through a new partnership with Coursera, an online education start-up founded by computer science professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, the University announced today. The partnership is the latest in a series of steps the University is taking to explore online education both on and off campus.

President John Hennessy recently indicated that Stanford is deliberately pursuing ways to develop technology in and out of the classroom, comparing online education to a tsunami.

“We want to get ahead of this wave,” he told the Faculty Senate at a January meeting. “I want to be surfing the wave, not drowning in it.”

Stanford’s biggest venture in online education thus far has been the creation of free online courses, also known as “MOOCs,” or Massive Open Online Courses. Stanford’s pilot program, which began last August, attracted more than 350,000 students around the world to its three classes.

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Recently, professors in the Computer Science department have pushed the notion of free online classes even further by founding their own online education start-ups. Professor Sebastian Thrun recently founded Udacity, an independent company. Professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng founded Coursera, which will now be partnering with Stanford as the University’s platform for new courses.

The new course offerings are Design and Analysis of Algorithms, Natural Language Processing, Cryptography, Game Theory and Probabilistic Graphical Models, all of which are scheduled to launch in mid March. Enrollment for the five classes has already reached 335,000.

Internal changes

In addition to the free online courses, the University has been working on more modest projects within the campus to enhance class experience for Stanford students. The Office of the Vice Provost for Education recently set up a Technology and Pedagogy Initiative to help faculty find methods to best achieve their teaching goals.

Professor John Mitchell, currently serving as special assistant to the University president for educational technology, identified four areas in which Stanford is trying to bring technology into education on campus: interactive video lectures, social networking forums for class discussion, interactive quizzes and tests that take place outside of the classroom and collaboration software to help students work on group projects. Some professors, including Koller, have already started to employ the “inverted classroom model,” in which students watch lectures at home before coming to class for more interactive discussions.

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“We like to make the time everyone spends here, both for students and faculty, as effective and productive as possible,” Mitchell said. “Technology can help restructure a course so that the time people are in a room together is more interactive.”

Currently, The Center for Teaching and Learning, recently joined by new Associate Director for Technology and Teaching, Amy Collier, is at the heart of these initiatives. Collier and her team meet with faculty one on one to determine what teaching strategies will make best use of classroom time.

“We sit down with the faculty to identify what it is they want the students to leave their course with,” Collier said. “They need to ask: how do we know that they have learned these things, and can we assess that online? If we can, then how?”

Mitchell said he believes that the process of reevaluating teaching strategy will help make faculty more effective. Mitchell himself has been preparing to teach one of his classes online.

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“What I found from doing this is that putting material I taught one way in a different format is a good way to rethink it,” he said. “Viewing things in 15 minutes segments seems to be better for students, but it  also seems to be a useful for the instructor — you have to think about making each 15 minutes self-contained and meaningful, since you don’t have 30 minutes to ramble.”

EMC Achieves Decade of Storage Software Market Share Leadership--Gains Market Share

IDC Worldwide Quarterly Storage Software QView Highlights

• EMC maintained its #1 leadership position in the overall storage software market for 2011.
• EMC outpaced the storage software market with 13.9% year-over-year growth, while the overall market grew 11.3% in 2011.
• EMC leads the storage infrastructure software market with 41.6% market share in 2011—more than 2X that of the closest leading vendor, capturing 10.5 points of additional market share compared to 2010, and grew storage infrastructure software revenue at 52.5%.

"EMC is leading customers on their journey to hybrid cloud computing, which is forever changing the way IT is built, operated and consumed. Data centers have been consolidated, standardized and virtualized. Customers are using 'smart' software, like EMC FAST, to automate more and more of what previously were burdensome administrative tasks to make their data centers more reliable and efficient.  EMC's decade of storage software market leadership has been achieved by continually innovating and delivering solutions like FAST that drive the adoption of powerful technologies like enterprise Flash drives," said Pat Gelsinger, President and Chief Operating Officer, EMC Information Infrastructure Products.

Additional Resources:

• Read IDC's news release
• More information on IDC's Worldwide Storage Software QView
• Connect with EMC via Twitter,  Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing.  Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset — information — in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way.

Video: U.S. robotic 'cheetah' breaks speed records

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon's main research agency has created the fastest-ever land robot, named "Cheetah," which can gallop at a speed of 18 miles (29 kilometers) per hour, scientists said this week.

The headless robot looks to be about the size of a small dog and is shown running on a treadmill in pictures and video released Monday by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

"The robot's movements are patterned after those of fast-running animals in nature," DARPA said in a statement.

"The robot increases its stride and running speed by flexing and unflexing its back on each step, much as an actual cheetah does."

Cheetah's dash has set a "new land speed record for legged robots," besting the previous holder of 13.1 miles (21.1 kilometers) per hour set by a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1989, the agency added.

Cheetah can move significantly faster than the average human's running pace, but it still couldn't keep up with Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who has clocked nearly 28 miles (45 kilometers) per hour.

The robot was created by Boston Dynamics in Waltham, Massachusetts, and was funded as part of DARPA's Maximum Mobility and Manipulation (M3) program, which seeks to advance robotic technology.

Someday, such speedy robots could better help the U.S. military with missions to dispose of roadside bombs and navigate other battlefield perils, the secretive agency said, declining an interview request for more information.

"The use of ground robots in military explosive-ordinance-disposal missions already saves many lives and prevents thousands of other casualties," the DARPA statement said.

"If the current limitations on mobility and manipulation capabilities of robots can be overcome, robots could much more effectively assist warfighters across a greater range of missions."

The machine is essentially a laboratory animal for now, powered by an off-board hydraulic pump. A boom-like device helps it stay on track in the center of the treadmill.

But Alfred Rizzi, Boston Dynamics chief robotics scientist, said field tests for a free-running machine are planned for later this year.

"This machine is really a mostly science-driven project to try and understand the limits of how fast we can actually make a legged machine go," he told AFP.

DARPA has previously funded Boston Dynamics to build other roving robots such as the Big Dog, which can travel up to 12.8 miles (20.6 kilometers) and navigate wet trails and 35 degree slopes carrying up to 340 pounds (154 kilograms).

Android OEM's won't like Apple's Latest iOS Patent Win

The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of twenty-five newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today and we've already covered two of them that touched on Apple's Multi-Touch and iWallet technologies and systems. But there's one more to report on today that could be a blockbuster for Apple's legal team and have Android OEM's scrambling to get it dissected. Apple's latest patent win may hold some mind boggling smartphone and tablet basics such as a display changing from vertical to horizontal modes. The Verge's Nital Patel has posted a fine report today titled "Slide to unlock: how Apple's patents are changing Android." One of the patents that Patel touches on is that of patent7,469,381 which he dubs a notorious patent because of the effect it's had on Android OEM's. If that had an effect, then Apple's latest patent is bound to be a killer. Apple's patent holds a whopping 76 claims which is well over triple what the '381 patent possessed. So if the first patent challenged Android OEM's, then this one could be a mega-ton bomb in comparison.  

Apple Wins a Powerful iOS & Device Patent

Apple has been granted a patent that generally relates to portable electronic devices, and more particularly, to portable devices that display portions of electronic documents and/or portions of lists of items. Due to the importance of this patent, we'll review Apple's complete 2007 Patent Background so as to give this patent win full context.

Apple's Patent Background

As portable electronic devices become more compact, and the number of functions performed by a given device increase, it has become a significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users to easily interact with a multifunction device. This challenge is particular significant for handheld portable devices, which have much smaller screens than desktop or laptop computers. This situation is unfortunate because the user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only content but also responses to user actions or behaviors, including user attempts to access a device's features, tools, and functions. Some portable communication devices (e.g., mobile telephones, sometimes called mobile phones, cell phones, cellular telephones, and the like) have resorted to adding more pushbuttons, increasing the density of push buttons, overloading the functions of pushbuttons, or using complex menu systems to allow a user to access, store and manipulate data. These conventional user interfaces often result in complicated key sequences and menu hierarchies that must be memorized by the user.

Many conventional user interfaces, such as those that include physical pushbuttons, are also inflexible. This is unfortunate because it may prevent a user interface from being configured and/or adapted by either an application running on the portable device or by users. When coupled with the time consuming requirement to memorize multiple key sequences and menu hierarchies, and the difficulty in activating a desired pushbutton, such inflexibility is frustrating to most users.

In particular, when a conventional user interface on a portable device is used to display a portion of an electronic document or of a list of items, a user may not be able to tell the position in the document or list of the displayed portion. The user also may not be able to tell what fraction of the document or list corresponds to the displayed portion. Lacking this knowledge, the user may find viewing and navigating the document or list to be confusing and frustrating. In some portable devices, scroll bars are used to indicate the position in the document or list of the displayed portion. But scroll bars are fixed user interface features that take up valuable display screen area on an already small display screen.

Accordingly, there is a need for portable multifunction devices with more transparent and intuitive user interfaces for navigating portions of electronic documents and/or lists of items that are easy to use and that do not reduce the screen area available for the display of documents, lists, and other content. Such interfaces increase the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with portable multifunction devices.

Finisar Corporation : Finisar Announces Leading-Edge 100G Modules for Telecom Networks at OFC/NFOEC 2012

New 100G Coherent and DWDM CFP Modules Designed to Bring Cost Economies and Power Efficiency to Long Haul and Metro Applications

SUNNYVALE, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/06/12 -- Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR) today announced two new 100G modules -- a 100G Coherent OIF Transponder and a 100G DWDM CFP with SpectraWave™, an all-optical DWDM transport platform. Finisar's modules bring new cost economies and power efficiencies to telecom networks by leveraging critical vertical integration capabilities and established expertise in 100G technology. The new modules will be on display at OFC/NFOEC in Finisar's booth #1703 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, March 6-8, 2012.

Coherent technology enables a new architecture in optical modules by eliminating dispersion compensation in long haul networks, resulting in simpler network management for service providers. Although the first generation of 100G coherent systems were based on proprietary linecards specific to individual systems vendors, it is expected that the general availability of commercial DSP chips will enable an ecosystem where module vendors with internal optics capability can drive compelling solutions in cost, power and density.

The new Finisar 100G Coherent OIF Transponder offers an innovative integrated heat sink design with reduced power dissipation compared to currently available solutions. The module is optimized for telecom long haul transport applications and reduces system cost by integrating soft-decision FEC while enabling reaches of up to 2000 km over single-mode fiber without the need for dispersion compensation.

Finisar will demonstrate an industry-first 100G CFP module for Metro DWDM applications. The CFP module is full C-band tunable across four 28G channels and enables 2.5 times the spectral efficiency of tunable XFP modules, while providing a lower-cost alternative to systems based on coherent technology. The module uses optical duobinary (ODB) modulation for extended dispersion tolerance, supports CAUI and OTL4.10 interfaces, and supports low latency applications. This module is ideally suited for Datacenter-to-Datacenter or Metro Ethernet applications.

This demonstration will also showcase Finisar's SpectraWave™, a new all-optical 1U DWDM transport platform that provides optical mux/demux, amplification, and dispersion compensation. Used together, SpectraWave™ and the DWDM CFP can provide end-to-end optical connectivity for Enterprise, Datacenter or Carrier applications over reaches of a few hundred kilometers. For example, in this demonstration, the SpectraWave™ platform will optically mux and demux four wavelengths, amplify the signals, and compensate for dispersion over 150 km of single-mode fiber.

Key to Finisar's offerings is its extensive investment and unmatched expertise in optical technology. "Finisar has often demonstrated our ability to execute during the high growth phase of a new market. This capability has been demonstrated at 10G, 40G, and 100G client. We believe that we are well positioned to be a leading supplier in the 100G line-side market as well," said Eitan Gertel, CEO of Finisar. "This announcement demonstrates our vertically integrated optics capability and expertise in high-speed optics will be critical to enabling a range of products to support all customer requirements at 100G."

In addition to these new modules, Finisar will have on display equipment from its wide portfolio of optical products, including its latest optical transceivers, transponders, ROADMs, advanced optical components, and passive devices.

About Finisar

Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ: FNSR) is a global technology leader of fiber optic subsystems and components that enable high-speed voice, video and data communications for networking, storage, wireless, and cable TV applications. For more than 20 years, Finisar has provided critical optics technologies to system manufacturers to meet the increasing demands for network bandwidth and storage. Finisar is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, USA with R&D, manufacturing sites, and sales offices worldwide.

SAFE HARBOR UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995
The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to Finisar as of the date hereof, and Finisar assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Examples of such risks include those associated with: the uncertainty of customer demand for Finisar's products; the rapidly evolving markets for Finisar's products and uncertainty regarding the development of these markets; Finisar's historical dependence on sales to a limited number of customers and fluctuations in the mix of products and customers in any period; ongoing new product development and introduction of new and enhanced products; the challenges of rapid growth followed by periods of contraction; and intensive competition.Finisar's business is set forth in Finisar's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly SEC filings.

The Catch: More Efficient, Huh?

Electronic health record (EHR) systems argue that making more effective use of health information technology will do for health care what airline reservation systems have done for the airlines.

Good, widely used EHR systems should reduce administrative costs, help physicians and hospitals do a better job of coordinating care, and reduce the likelihood that providers will duplicate tests patients have already had.

Some naysayers have argued that EHR systems might not be all they're cracked up to be, pointing out that many EHR promoters, such as large consulting firms, have a financial incentive to hype EHR technology; that many countries with far more efficient health care systems are just starting to use EHR technology; and that converting existing paper patient files into electronic form will be expensive and time-consuming.

Now Danny McCormick, a medical professor at Harvard University, and three colleagues are raising another point: EHR systems might not actually do much to discourage physicians' tendency to order duplicative tests.

McCormick and his colleages have published a paper on that topic in the latest issue of Health Affairs, a health finance and delivery journal.

The researchers tested the idea that health information technology access could reduce ordering of duplicate tests by analyzing records of 28,741 2008 patient visits to 1,187 office-based physicians.

The researchers also looked at whether physicians had had electronic access to test results.

The researchers found that doctors with electronic test record access were 40% to 70% more likely to order additional blood tests than other physicians were.

"The availability of an electronic health record in itself had no apparent impact on ordering; the electronic access to test results appears to have been the key," the researchers say in a study abstract. "These findings raise the possibility that, as currently implemented, electronic access does not decrease test ordering in the office setting and may even increase it, possibly because of system features that are enticements to ordering."

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

Some employers and health plans have been trying to hold down health care prices in the past few years by returning to plans featuring fewer providers.

Plans are hoping they can negotiate better rates for better quality care by funneling more patients to a relatively small number of highly efficient doctors and hospitals.

Health Net of California Inc., a unit of Health Net Inc., Woodland Hills, Calif. (NYSE:HNT), announced today that is introducing the SmartCare network, a Southern California "tailored network" that will feature complentary care providers, such as chiropractors and acupuncture providers, as well as conventional providers.

Broadcom Announces Portfolio of Best-in-Class Ethernet Adapters and LOMs for Dell PowerEdge 12th Generation Servers

News Highlights:

• Broadcom-powered adapters enable IT managers to maximize performance, efficiency and scalability of next-generation servers
• Best-in-class performance – Broadcom adapters achieve 37 percent faster networking throughput(1) and 120 percent higher iSCSI offload(2) than nearest competitor
• Adapters incorporate Broadcom-based MACs and PHYs, providing integrated single-chip solution for OEMs

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today announced a new portfolio of Ethernet adapters for Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers. Featuring Broadcom's latest generation of 1GbE and 10GbE NetXtreme controllers and the industry's highest performance networking silicon, the new adapters boost performance, efficiency and scalability of enterprise servers.  For more news from Broadcom visit our newsroom.

Dell is offering a wide range of new Broadcom-powered solutions for its 12th generation servers (seven new products) that include dual-port and quad-port network daughter cards (NDCs), network Interface cards (NICs), converged network adapters (CNAs) and Mezzanine cards.  These devices are designed for a wide variety of network configurations and are fully compatible withDell PowerEdge^® blade and rack servers. 

Increasing demands for server virtualization, cloud computing, and I/O intensive applications are driving the need for greater processing capabilities in enterprise networks and data centers.  According to a recent survey by IDC, top priorities for IT managers in 2012 will include increasing adoption of virtualization, improving system management and adding new servers.(3)  Broadcom's latest Ethernet adapter solutions are engineered to help IT managers meet these demands while leveraging features and benefits that are associated with the new Dell PowerEdge 12th generation servers.

Broadcom's NetXtreme Ethernet adapters feature a highly-integrated 40nm single-chip solution that combines the company's media access controllers (MACs) with its physical layer transceivers (PHYs).  Engineered for use with 12G multi-core servers, the adapters deliver full line-rate throughput across all ports. To support enterprise and data center efficiency and scalability requirements, the adapters offer advanced functionality such as switch-independent NIC partitioning and IEEE 1588 time synchronization. They also take advantage of Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE), enabling lower power consumption (up to 42 percent less) for reduced IToperating costs.*

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/06/4315563/broadcom-announces-portfolio-of.html#storylink=cpy

Siamak Kalhor, Popular Radio Host and Founder of Cyberset Corp., Shares His Insights on Iran with Geraldo Rivera

As the rhetoric about Iran heats up, moderates like Siamak Kalhor are hoping cooler heads prevail

LOS ANGELES, March 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Last week on KABC, Geraldo Riverainterviewed Siamak Kalhor, the host of the popular 670AM KIRN Radio Iran program based in Los Angeles. Among other topics, Mr. Kalhor spoke with Geraldo about the rising tensions between the United States and Iran, and about the relationship between the U.S. government and the Iranian-American community (the highest concentration of which is found in and around Los Angeles). As the host of a successful radio program, Mr. Kalhor has his finger on the pulse of the Iranian-American community, a diverse demographic made up of many different religions and political agendas. Mr. Kalhor reminded Geraldo that Iranian-Americans are patriotic citizens who love America, but they are not eager to see a war between the U.S. and Iran.

Siamak Kalhor's contribution to the ongoing dialogue was important, because while moderates outnumber the extremists, their voices tend to get drowned out once the saber-rattling begins. In particular, Mr. Kalhor is able to offer keen insights on the tech-savvy Iranian youth in both America and Iran; he is an expert on information technology, and much of what drives the recent political upheaval and calls for change amongst this increasingly vocal demographic is being driven by social media like Facebook and Twitter.

As the founder of a prominent Internet marketing company called Cyberset Corp., Mr. Kalhor has been at the leading edge of the latest developments in information technology for many years. Cyberset provides its large client base with a diverse array of Internet marketing services that range from search engine optimization (SEO) to local Internet marketing, pay per click advertising, and much more. The company is also heavily involved in social media, a vast frontier that offers opportunities not only for grassroots political movements, but also for businesses that want to engage with consumers who now do much of their research and shopping online.

Mr. Kalhor is frequently asked to speak on politics, business, and technology, because all three of these arenas have become increasingly interdependent over the last twenty years. He has been featured on CNN, WNYC, KPRC, CNBC, BBC World, and in the L.A. Times.

EMC Delivers "No Compromise" Technology, Solutions and Services for Microsoft SQL Server 2012

Full Story:

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today announced broad technology support, new EMC Proven Solutions and Consulting Services for Microsoft SQL Server 2012 to help customers deploy SQLServer for mission critical data center applications. By leveraging EMC best-in-class technology and services with the latest SQL Server functionality, customers can increase performance and maximize data availability at a lower cost. New EMC Consulting services provide customers a defined path for seamless migration and adoption of SQL Server 2012 and help customers take advantage of SQL Server 2012's breakthrough insights functionality to turn data into business intelligence and competitive advantage.

EMC's Industry Leading Storage Platforms Optimized for Microsoft SQL Server 2012

In October 2011, an IDC(1) survey of Enterprise end-users named EMC the #1 storage choice forMicrosoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, and other mission critical environments. The survey ranks storage vendors on how end-users are deploying their technology with enterprise applications, and it shows that more customers choose EMC storage than any other storage for their Microsoft environments.

By leveraging EMC technologies to address SQL Server 2012 requirements customers can:

• Achieve 80% faster SQL Server provisioning with EMC^® VNX^™  Unified Storage;
• Automate the allocation of SQL 2012 Server storage and eliminate 95% of the typical manual storage calculation times with EMC Symmetrix^®  VMAXe^®  100% Virtual Provisioning;   
• Experience 4X more performance of SQL Server 2012 server and storage resources at a lower cost using EMC FAST (Fully Automated Storage Tiering) software, and EMCVFCache^™ server flash caching solution;
• Complete more backups in less time with up to 30X less storage with EMC backup and recovery solutions.
  
  Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/06/4315546/emc-delivers-no-compromise-technology.html#storylink=cpy

World Congress on Information Technology to be held in Montreal - ONE Vision for a Global Digital Society

MONTREAL, MARCH 6, 2012 — /PRNewswire/ - The World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) will be held in Montréal, from October 22 to 24, 2012, at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal. Every two years, the WCIT is organized in a different country under auspices of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) and it has become the world's leading information technology gathering, with prominent speakers, leading thinkers, and business leaders from all over the world invited to participate.

This year's WCIT will bring something new, and perhaps unprecedented, to the world stage. A World Tech Jam kicks off WCIT 2012 from June 5-7, with 20,000 online contributors collaborating and sharing their ideas, their passion, and their insights on a massive scale into the creation of a true bottom-up Global Digital Society Action Plan. "When compared to conventional engagement techniques, jamming or digital brainstorming has many advantages," said Anthony Williams, WCIT 2012 Program Chair. "And for the first time, IT users around the world will lead the conversation. This event will give users a voice - this is a giant step for the IT world and a first."

One of the results of the Jam will be a Digital Agenda that will have influence on the WCIT 2012 program. Think of it as an action plan for realizing opportunities for digital innovation that can inform, inspire and guide decision makers in sectors ranging from public administration and health care to education and science. The Digital Agenda will be unveiled to the Congress delegates, ICT stakeholders, and government, academic and community leaders during the closing ceremony of WCIT 2011 and then presented to the WITSA as a tool for policy development, educational curricula, corporate citizenship programs, and much more.

Convened under the theme of "ONE Vision for a Global Digital Society", WCIT 2012 will be a fast-paced three-day conference featuring more than 100 high-profile speakers and attracting up to 3,000 delegates and 300 media from more than 80 countries. The conference's objective is to impact economic and social development through the exchange of policies, practices, trends and ideas on ICT and it will feature topics that discuss ICT`s role in the economy, environment, government, healthcare, education and mobility.

"WCIT 2012 will bring together world-class keynote speakers and leaders of government, industry, academia, and civil society for broad discussions on how ICT technologies shape and help today's digital society by placing the user at the center of the event," said Francois Morin, CEO of WCIT 2012. "It will showcase canadian technology innovation to a global audience, creating business opportunities for Canadian entrepreneurs, and attract foreign investment."

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/03/06/3920722/world-congress-on-information.html#storylink=cpy

Google’s new privacy policy

We are surrounded by hundreds of machines and man-made technology, overloaded by information from different directions, people and cultures. Thanks to the greatest technological achievement of recent times, the internet; seeking information of any kind is no longer difficult or impossible. In that world, we are mere users! How many of us really care about who possibly inquires about the products we need and why we need information on them? Would it be okay with you if the information or products you have been following was sold to a third party? What limitations do the service provider, Google, suffer from?

Every day millions of people perform Google search, use Gmail and YouTube. You have probably used all of these internet services today. Since March 1, the use of Google search, Gmail and You Tube have fallen into the ambit of a brand new privacy policy! We have been wondering if this is something that we should be concerned about. Most users and even some governments have criticized the decision and expressed concern about this new policy that violates users privacy and personal information!

I do not think I have ever read Google’s privacy policy or have thought about how it could affects me ! I usually click on the ‘Accept’ button. Am I the only one who does that? Possibly not! Now I know that they are important. Like any other contract , it governs users relationship with Google. Without understanding what is in the policy, its terms and conditions , we will never know that Google will use personal information! I think there are two sides to the story here. The person who reads it will know.

Google will now be using your data. For example. If you are looking for the latest fashion trends in Paris, YouTube would suggest some videos related to it. I guess some would think this is as an interference. This is how Google does business; it is not a charitable organization. One thing is for sure – Google will not sell your information to third parties.

I think Google’s new privacy policy is, a move towards greater simplicity and transparency. It may not be ‘invasive’ unless you are ‘googling’ information about mass destruction or making bombs. You could be in trouble If Google tracks these queries and begins investigating that! that .

Google’s new policy has come under fire in France and Canada. The coming few days will prove to be crucial to users as they are just getting to know what the privacy policy is like.

eFiberTools to Showcase the Inno IFS-10 Fusion Splicer at OFC/NFOEC 2012

Next week in Los Angeles visit booth #1541 at OFC/NFOEC, March 6-8 2012 to demo the new Inno IFS-10 core-alignment fusion splicer - "The Fujikura Killer".

Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) March 03, 2012

eFiberTools.com, a leading provider of fiber optic splicing and testing tools and supplies for the telecom and broadband industry, will demonstrate the IFS-10 fusion splicer from Inno instrument at the OFC/NFOEC - 2012 conference in Los Angeles March 6-8, 2012. The demonstration at the OFC/NFOEC will focus on this and other advanced features of the IFS-10 fiber splicer, and ruggedness and resistance to dirt, water and the pounding of daily use.

eFiberTools is the main distributor for Inno Instrument in the US and rest of North America, handles retail and wholesale distribution, and service and repairs for Inno. At the show, eFiberTools will be showing in amazing demonstration video of the IFS-10 in action and performing flawlessly while being subjected to dirt, water and excessive vibration while performing fusion splicers. It's an impressive video and demonstrates the capabilities of this essential tool.

The Inno IFS-10 fusion splicer promises to be a game-changer in the field of fusion splicers do to its outstanding splicing quality and that it is the only single fiber, core alignment fusion splicer in the US market priced under $10k truly comparable to the Fujikura FSM-60S which currently is the best-selling model. Plus, at only $9990 for the full kit, the Inno IFS-10 is priced 40% less than the FSM-60S.

The IFS-10, which is Inno's second generation fusion splicer, uses core-alignment technology called DACAS--Digital Analysis Core Alignment System and clearly offers the best value of any other brand. Since his introduction, the IFS-10 has been wildly popular with Inno making up 70% of fusion splicers sales in Korea, where it's manufactured. A similar outcome is expected in the US market as the company and the splicer becomes better-known.

"A Fujikura Killer!"? ...At a recent London expo and unnamed Fujikura employee was reportedly overheard calling the Inno IFS-10 "A Fujikura Killer". As they have done in Korea Inno's latest fusion splicer is well on the way to living up to that description. Sales have been exceptional, especially when considering that it's only been available in the US for a few months.

MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE! Contact eFiberTools for details on their exclusive money back guarantee on the Inno IFS-10 splicing kit. Or, how to get an Inno IFS-10 kit shipped to your business for a one-week free demo.

Be advised that eFiberTools is now in booth #1541 at OFC/NFOEC. This was a last-minute change and was a great opportunity to get into an excellent location at expo. Look for their corner booth in the middle of the show floor.

ABOUT OFC/NFOEC
For 37 years OFC/NFOEC has attracted the biggest names in the fiber optics industry. The OFC/NFOEC is now the largest global conference and exposition for optical communications and networking professionals. OFC/NFOEC stands for Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition (OFC) and the National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (NFOEC).

OFC/NFOEC is a one-stop-shop for those looking to get the latest products and information and on FTTx, networks, fiber splicing equipment, test and measurement, optical grids, optical packets, ROADMs, coherent systems, WDM-PON and much more.

ABOUT US visit:  http://informstechnologies.blogspot.com/
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Computer hacking 'not going away

Hacking efforts and widespread computer viruses are continuing to expand both locally and internationally for a variety of reasons, including hackers illegally cracking into private computer systems to corrupt or steal valuable personal information, according to authorities. Houston County’s website was down for about a week after it was hacked on Feb. 21 and indecent content was posted.

Incidents in which other government websites and those of private companies have surfaced over the last few years as well. In January, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported an Atlanta man was sentenced to a year and a month in prison after he hacked into a protected computer of a competing medical practice in order to gain the personal information of patients for marketing reasons.

Last month, a Hungarian man charged in the U.S. with the hacking of Marriott International Corp. computers in order to extort employment was sentenced to 30 months in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

McArdle said several hacking attempts and viruses can corrupt Microsoft operating systems as well as the Android system for cell phones. Several indicators, such as slow-moving computer programs or the inability to access files, could show a computer has been hacked, he said.

McArdle said hacking often takes place after a person has clicked on fraudulent advertisements or attachments in an email, which can grant access to a hacker.

“The bottom line is that if a real hacker wants to get in, they’re getting in. Personally I don’t believe any website is 100-percent hacker proof. On a bigger scale with corporate intranets, you have an internet use policy that an employee violates and clicks on a link and opens the computers up to a hacker,” McArdle said between repairing computers.